Europe

Islande

Islande

Headed by a National Commissioner, Iceland’s national police force (called Ríkislögreglan) is part of the Ministry of Interior (MIA). The MIA is responsible for international police co-operation, co-ordinating extradition procedures with partner countries and confiscating wealth generated by crime committed abroad. The National Commissioner administers the police force on a day-to-day basis, while the Minister of Interior is the force's supreme commander.

In addition to crime prevention and investigation, the Icelandic police are responsible for public security and maintaining law and order. Iceland has no armed forces and the police force is organized along non-military lines with members having civilian status. Police officers have authorized powers in all parts of the country but, for operational purposes, Iceland is divided into 15 districts, each headed by a District Commissioner.

INTERPOL Reykjavik

The National Commissioner’s office co-ordinates international contact in the field of law enforcement. Iceland’s INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) is part of its International Department.

INTERPOL Reykjavik is the exclusive platform for all Icelandic police investigations with an international link. NCB activities focus largely on drug offences, wanted criminals and missing persons. When Icelandic nationals are arrested abroad, enquiries regarding their identity criminal history are addressed to the NCB, and the same procedure applies for foreign nationals arrested in Iceland.